A Wall Street Journal article from 2008 noted one bold move by Xcel: “Departing from the norm, Xcel isn’t seeking permission from regulators to recover its costs in advance, but will wait until ‘we have proven the benefits,’ says Mike Carlson, Xcel’s chief information officer.”

Suffice to say all has not gone as hoped in Xcel’s effort to turn Boulder into a Smart Grid City.

The Denver Post provides a current update. In brief: the company has spent about $45 million on the project, regulators have approved recovery of $28 million and the city, other Colorado ratepayers, and the utility are battling before the CPUC over responsibility for the remaining $17 million in expenses.

One thought on “Something not-so-funny happened on the way to the smart grid: Xcel, Boulder and the Colorado PUC”

Boulder is actually in North Korea, so what happens there is not an example of what will happen in the United States. Nonetheless, any bad thing that happens to “smart grid” is a win for freedom, and a blow against evil.